“A secret rating system is unfair. Collective punishment is unacceptable. The refusal to share information that will allow our community to address specific streets and problems is outrageous!”

Assemblyman Dov Hikind (D-Brooklyn) is insisting that the
Department of Sanitation explain why they have deemed Boro Park the
“dirtiest district” in Brooklyn and are now targeting store and home
owners.

In a letter to Elizabeth Weinstein, Director of the Mayor’s
Office of Operations, Assemblyman Hikind explained that Community Board
12 leaders have surveyed not only Boro Park but also the other 17
community districts, where they observed numerous streets that seemed
far dirtier than any of the streets in CB 12. The prevailing belief is
that streets bordering Boro Park, such as 8th Avenue, may be the source
of the Sanitation Department’s conclusions. However, on numerous
occasions, Community Board 12 has reached out to the mayor’s office
requesting the specifics of their study.

“I am dismayed that these requests have been ignored and
this information unfairly withheld,” said the Assemblyman. “I believe
that my community is being unfairly targeted. Even if one small section
isn’t up to par, our entire community should not be penalized with a
collective punishment.

“The result of your designation is a new blitz of
sanitation ticketing that is occurring in my community at an alarming
rate. People have complained of receiving sanitation tickets at 3 a.m.
These tickets carry a minimum fine of $100 which is very burdensome to
people already struggling financially. This blitz must stop.

“A secret rating system is unfair. The refusal to share
information that will allow our community to address specific streets
and problems is outrageous and unacceptable. We need transparency so
that we can properly address these concerns together for the benefit of
the city and all those who live here.”